Phillies top 25 under 25: Ranking the team’s best young players
The Phillies have a collection of players under 25 years old who are already talented at the major-league level or could be future impact players.
Unlike a top prospect list, a top 25 under 25 takes a look at the best Phillies players both at the major-league level as well as the minor-leagues. Most players on this list are prospects just because of how long it takes some players to the reach the majors, but there are still several who are already in the majors with an established role.
The Phillies are in the midst of a serious rebuild and the talent of the young players is an important gauge of that rebuild. To that end, let’s take a look at the team’s top 25 players under 25 years old.
When deciding where to rank players, I often tended towards players near or already in the majors and looked more at their ceiling than their floor.
No. 25: LHP Elniery Garcia
Garcia jumped up prospect lists last year after a strong campaign in High-A Clearwater with a 2.68 ERA in 20 appearances. This season, Garcia was primed to take the next step before he was suspended for 80 games for PEDs. He has since returned, making two appearances in the GCL before returning to Double-A. He has made two starts in Reading, allowing just one run in each of his first two starts, walking five and striking out six in nine innings. There’s enough to like about Garcia to see a back-end starter, and the team likes him enough to keep him on the 40-man roster.
No. 24: 2B Jesmuel Valentin
Valentin was added to the 40-man roster last winter to the surprise of some, but Valentin was solid enough to warrant it. This year, Valentin impressed in spring training before heading back to Triple-A. The team wanted him in the lineup at Triple-A to get more consistent playing time as opposed to being on the major-league bench. Valentin slashed a dismal .229/.282/.292 through 29 games this year before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery. Most people view him as a utility infielder, but this injury does put a hamper on it.
No. 23: 3B Maikel Franco
Franco started off his major-league career well in 2015, but it has gone downhill since then. Most viewed last year as a failure for Franco, and this year is worse. He is hitting .223 with a .276 on-base percentage. His -0.5 fWAR and 71 wRC+ are both league-worst among qualified third baseman and his fWAR is 10th-worst overall. There’s still the hope he can turn it around as he has hit 17 home runs and a .228 batting average on balls in play. After this season, it’s understandable if the front office tries to move on from him.
No. 22: LHP McKenzie Mills
Mills was the return for Howie Kendrick and he’s actually a better prospect than I would’ve expected for him. He had a breakout with Washington in his first year in full-season action, striking out 28.4 percent of opposing hitters while walking just 5.3 percent in Low-A. He had a 3.01 ERA before being traded to Philadelphia. In three starts, he has a 4.60 ERA in High-A Clearwater. He has the potential for a solid three-pitch mix and if this step forward this year is any indication, he could make some major jumps.
No. 21: OF Jhailyn Ortiz
Ortiz was the big signing of the 2015 international signing period, with the Phillies dropping four million dollars to sign him. He had a decent start to his professional career in the GCL, but the 18-year-old has taken a major step forward in short-season Williamsport this year. Through 39 games, he has a .284/.398/.530 line with seven home runs. The uptick in batting average and OBP is a great sign for Ortiz’s development and he should only go up from here.
No. 20: OF Roman Quinn
Another year, another injury for Quinn. This time, an elbow injury could keep him off the field for the rest of the season. He hasn’t played since May 28. He was doing fairly well in Triple-A, but the injury bug comes hand-in-hand with Quinn. If he wasn’t injured all the time he would probably be in the majors right now, but he just can’t stay on the field. 2018 may be his last chance to stay healthy a full season, otherwise he’s just going to be a bust.
No. 19: 2B Daniel Brito
Brito has taken a step back this year in Low-A Lakewood, but the 19-year-old is definitely an intriguing prospect. Scouts like his hit tool, with some calling it as high as plus. He is solid on the defensive side of the ball and should be above-average there as well. The biggest question mark for Brito is how well he can fill out his frame. If he can, he should be able to be a solid second baseman at the major-league level, but it’s all about projection.
No. 18: RHP Drew Anderson
Anderson made his major-league debut against the Angels, allowing two runs – one earned – while also striking out Mike Trout, one of the league’s best players. He then quickly returned to the Double-A rotation, where Anderson has a 3.59 ERA and 2.15 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 21 starts. Anderson had a strong return from Tommy John surgery which prompted the team to add him to the 40-man roster last winter. The team sees enough in him as some sort of starter in the future, perhaps even more than a back-end arm.
No. 17: LHP Ranger Suarez
This is Suarez’s first year in full-season action after being signed way back in 2012. Suarez has developed a lot since then and this year is where he is really starting to stand out. He started off the year in Lakewood, striking out 27.8 percent of opposing hitters while posting a 1.59 ERA in 14 starts. He was then promoted to Clearwater where he has a 3.00 ERA and 2.46 fielding-independent pitching through six starts. Suarez’s fastball can reach up to 95 mph and usually sits in the low-90s. His changeup is an above-average secondary pitch and he has the workings of an average curveball. The 22-year-old is Rule 5 eligible (again) this winter and may wind up having to be protected if the team feels someone else will try to steal him.
No. 16: LHP JoJo Romero
Romero was Philadelphia’s fourth-round pick last year and had a strong debut in the New York-Penn League with short-season Williamsport. This year he has taken another step forward, posting a 2.23 ERA, 2.84 FIP, 1.094 WHIP, and 3.55 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 20 starts between Lakewood and Clearwater this season. His fastball is in about the same range as Suarez and he also possess a plus fastball. Romero is developing both a slider and curve and both could be average pitches. He has good control but does need to work on his command. Romero could rise quickly from here and start next year in Double-A with a strong finish to the season.
No. 15: OF Cornelius Randolph
Randolph is in the midst of his real first full season after missing almost half of the season last year due to injury. He is getting on base almost as much as last year (.355 OBP in 2016 in Low-A vs. .349 in 2017 in High-A) while walking more often. However, Randolph is striking out more often and has a lower batting average. Perhaps the biggest development in Randolph’s game this year is the first real sign of game power. Randolph has 12 home runs this year, quadrupling his professional total up to this point. If his hit tool returns to the level from the past two years, Randolph should be a solid player.
No. 14: RHP Adonis Medina
The Phillies have a plethora of top Latin pitching prospects, and one of the best is Medina. After failing to strike out even an average amount of hitters despite great stuff, it is starting to click for Medina this year. Through 19 starts in Low-A he has struck out a near-“excellent” 26.6 percent of opposing hitters while walking 7.7 percent, which is right around the average according to Fangraphs. Medina has induced ground balls 48 percent of the time and gives up home runs on just 6.8 percent of fly balls. He already has two plus pitches in his fastball and chanegup with a slider that could be plus as well. All three of those mixed together could make for a very good starter, it’s just a matter of Medina learning how to use all those pitches.
No. 13: RHP Nick Pivetta
I give the advantage to Pivetta and Eflin over Medina because they are both already major-league pitchers while Medina is still years away. Pivetta had a strong start to the season in Triple-A before being called up to fill in for injured starters. Through 17 starts, Pivetta has struck out 9.51 batters per nine innings while walking 3.84 per nine. He has a 6.25 ERA, 5.04 FIP, and 4.46 xFIP. Pivetta has flashed several dominant starts, including striking out 11 batters in just five innings Wednesday, but he struggles with home runs and control at times which hurts him. I will give the rookie the benefit of the doubt considering his age and inexperience, and while he does have potential, it will take some time to reach that potential if he ever does.
No. 12: RHP Zach Eflin
Eflin, like Pivetta, has flashed serious upside in the majors. Through his first five starts, Eflin had a 2.81 ERA while walking just 3.1 percent of batters. Since then, Elfin has a 9.22 ERA with 16 strikeouts and six walks in 27.1 innings. He missed about a month with an elbow injury, but thankfully he did not require any surgery. Eflin could be a solid No. 4 innings-eater, but he needs to be more consistent and stay on the field.
No. 11: RHP Franklyn Kilome
Kilome is still a high-upside arm, but he has lost some of his luster since there hasn’t been a huge step forward in Kilome’s development. In 19 starts at High-A Kilome walked 9.1 percent of opposing hitters while striking out 20.3 percent. While his walk rate is slightly down, his strikeout rate dropped significantly from last year. As a whole, Kilome had a 2.59 ERA, 2.56 FIP, and 1.37 WHIP for Clearwater. He was recently promoted to Double-A where he has made two starts so far, allowing five runs on 11 hits and five walks with 10 strikeouts through 12 innings. Despite his lackluster stats, he still has all that same potential with a fastball that can hit the high-90s, a plus curve, and at least an average changeup (hopefully). His control is what gives him a lot of risk, but there is definitely a whole lot of reward.
No. 10: OF Adam Haseley
Haseley was Philadelphia’s first-round pick in this year’s draft and he is off to a strong start to his professional career. He scorched through the GCL before posting a .270/.350/.380 line in 37 games in short-season Williamsport. He was recently promoted to Low-A Lakewood, where he has two hits and a walk in his first eight plate appearances. He has been the Lakewood’s designated hitter with last year’s first-round pick, Mickey Moniak, already in center field. The jostling for playing time in center between the two will be interesting to watch as they rise through the minors.
No. 9: OF Dylan Cozens
Cozens has failed to repeat the success of his monster 2016 season in Double-A this year in Triple-A. While Cozens has continued to walk at a high rate (10.5 percent) he has struck out in 34.7 percent of his 476 plate appearances and has a measly .217 batting average. He has continued to show his power with 23 home runs this season, but the 23-year-old has yet to prove he can hit major-league pitching with his struggles in Triple-A. Hopefully next season he can correct some of his mistakes.
No. 8: C Jorge Alfaro
Alfaro is in his last option year, so this season was his last chance to work out the kinks in the minor-leagues. In 84 games, Alfaro had a rather poor .241/.291/.358 line with a 4.6 percent walk rate, 32.3 percent strikeout rate, seven home runs, and 43 runs batted in. He was called up to the majors when Andrew Knapp landed on the disabled list.
Through his first four games he has six hits, including his first major-league home run that left the stadium at 114 mph. Alfaro still has to work on the finer things behind the plate, but he should be a solid catcher with a great arm and provide some power at the plate.
No. 7: SS J.P. Crawford
Everyone had written off Crawford to start the season and for good reason. Through the first 56 games of the year, he was hitting just .194 with a .565 OPS. However, team director of player development Joe Jordan said Crawford was playing through injury early on in the season. Since missing a week and a half nursing a groin injury in June, Crawford has been hitting like the top prospect like he was. His OPS has jumped to .935 with a .281 batting average. He has hit 11 of his 13 home runs this season in the last 52 games, including one inside-the-parker. Crawford needs Rule 5 protection this winter, so a late-season call-up isn’t out of the question. If he finishes the season this way, he should climb back up prospect rankings.
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No. 6: 1B/LF Rhys Hoskins
Hoskins smashed Triple-A pitching all year with 29 home runs and a .966 OPS. The club moved Hoskins to left field hoping he could fill in for the team’s many injured outfielders and keep Tommy Joseph in the lineup. He has yet to make any errors in left field, but he hasn’t been a standout there either. The hope is this is just a short-term fix. Hoskins has already collected his first three major-league home runs, but he has just four hits overall through his first seven games. He should have plenty of opportunity the rest of the season to start hitting like he did in Triple-A.
No. 5: 2B Scott Kingery
This is Kingery’s breakout season as he has hit 24 home runs with a .307/.360/.549 line through 113 games between Double-A and Triple-A. His plate discipline numbers haven’t been great in Triple-A, but for the most part Kingery has been one of the team’s best all-around players this year. He isn’t eligible for the Rule 5 draft so it’s hard to imagine him being added to the 40-man roster this season, but he should make a serious run for the starting second base job next season in spring training.
No. 4: OF Nick Williams
After struggling in Triple-A last year and falling down prospect lists, Williams had a resurgence this season. In 78 games, Williams hit for a .280/.328/.511 line with 15 home runs and 33 extra-base hits. It was about as much development we could hope for from Williams in Triple-A and he was promoted to the majors June 30. Since then, he has been just as good in the majors, posting a .292/.350/.493 line with five home runs and 24 RBI. He has been in the lineup every day since the trade deadline and he has in the inside track to a starting job next season.
No. 3: OF Mickey Moniak
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This season has not been the step forward we were hoping for from Moniak. If anything it has been a step back for 2016’s No.1 overall pick. He has a .643 OPS in 109 Low-A games and has gotten progressively worse as the season has went on. He had a .284 batting average in April but is hitting just .128 in August. Another year in Lakewood may be likely for Moniak. He still has all the raw tools that made him such a high pick, but perhaps this year’s assignment was too aggressive.
No. 2: RHP Sixto Sanchez
Perhaps the best thing about the Phillies minor-league system this year has been the continued dominance of Sanchez. After jumping onto the scene last year in the GCL, Sanchez followed it up with an impressive run of dominance in Low-A. In 13 starts, Sanchez posted a 2.41 ERA, 2.38 FIP, 25 percent strikeout rate and 3.5 percent walk rate. He was promoted to High-A earlier this month and has given up eight runs in 12 innings. However, his FIP of 2.41 and batting average on balls in play of .372 indicates that Sanchez should return to normal. Sanchez’s fastball hits 100 consistently and he has two strong secondary pitches. His control at such a young age – this is still considered his age-18 season – is impressive and many see a future ace in the young starter.
No. 1: RHP Aaron Nola
While Sanchez has been the best thing about the minors, Nola has easily been the best thing in the majors this year. The righty’s 3.02 ERA would be good for firth in the National League if he qualified – he has toed the line for qualifying after missing a month earlier this year – and his 4.0 bWAR is sixth among NL pitchers. In his last ten starts, he hasn’t given up more than two runs in any one start as he has a 1.71 ERA (40 ERA-), 2.64 FIP (60 FIP-), 29 percent strikeout rate, and 1.00 WHIP. There’s a chance Nola could garner some Cy Young votes this year, and he has shown he can be the frontline starter this team so desperately needs.
Next: Phillies promote Carlos Tocci to Triple-A
What do you think of the list? Let me know on Twitter @johntown99_ or @FS_TBOH as well as our That Balls’ Outta Here Facebook page.